Music Review – The Exit Strategy

Considering City Of Microphones boasts the production skills of one J. Robbins the space the band occupies is certainly not surprising. That the band is from Buffalo, NY and not Washington D.C. is though. The Exit Strategy play a familiar brand of indie rock with notable DC influences. There are touches of Robbins’ bands (Jawbox, Burning Airlines, Channels) along with Fugazi and Faraquet all over City Of Microphones. Unfortunately though, the originality of those bands is falls by the wayside here. Sure, fans of this style should find a few noteworthy songs to latch onto. “The First the Finest the Future”, “General Manager” and “What The Fuck Is Low Art?” all hold their own with the the big boys that have inspired the band. However, as a whole City Of Microphones simply fails to grab the listener’s attention far too often. While I do love this style, and The Exit Strategy show some promise, City Of Microphones remains sadly unmemorable.